Identification Requirements for In-Person Registration and Voting Options in Canada - June 2018
Research Fact Sheet
Summary
- In all Canadian jurisdictions, proof of identity and address are required when registering in person.
There are seven jurisdictions in Canada where proof of identity and address is required when voting in person. These jurisdictions are: PEI, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, and the federal level. In the five provinces, the provincial voter information card (VIC) is authorized as a piece of ID to prove one's address when voting. The VIC is not authorized, however, in Northwest Territories, or at the federal level.
- Once electors are registered, Ontario and Quebec require only proof of identity to vote, and there are no ID requirements to vote in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nunavut, Yukon and Alberta.
Jurisdiction | In-person registration and voting options | Proof of identity required | Proof of residence required | Document(s) authorized to prove elector's identity/address | VIC allowed to prove address when voting | Alternative to documentary proof of identity and/or residence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | Registration | Yes | Yes | One piece of government-issued photo ID with name and address; or two pieces of ID authorized by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), both with name, at least one with address | no data | Yes (attestation) |
Voting on polling day, advance polls, special ballot in RO office, and mobile polls | Yes | Yes | No | Yes (attestation) |
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Newfoundland and Labrador | Registration | Yes | Yes | One document with name, current address and signature; or a combination of two documents, one with name and current address, and one with name and signature; or one document with name and current address, which elector can sign to provide signature | no data | Yes (visible ID by an election officer, Guarantor's Form, Affidavit for Identification) |
Voting on polling day, advance polls, special ballot in RO office, and mobile polls | No | No | N/A | no data | N/A | |
Prince Edward Island | Registration | Yes | Yes | One piece of ID issued by the Province of Prince Edward Island, or an agency of that government, with photo, name and address; or two pieces of ID authorized by the CEO, both with name, at least one with address | no data | Yes (vouching) |
Voting on polling day, advance polls, and mobile polls footnote 1 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (vouching) |
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Nova Scotia | Registration | Yes | Yes | One of the following: Nova Scotia driver's licence, Nova Scotia ID card or Certificate of Indian Status; or two pieces of ID authorized by the CEO, both with name, at least one with address | no data | Yes (attestation) |
Voting on polling day, advance polls, special ballot in RO office, and mobile polls | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (attestation) |
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New Brunswick | Registration | Yes | Yes | One or more pieces of ID that between them show elector's name, current address and signature | no data | Yes (vouching) |
Voting on polling day, advance polls, special ballot in RO office, and mobile polls | No | No | N/A | no data | N/A | |
Quebec | Registration | Yes | Yes | One document with name and date of birth, including: birth certificate; health insurance card; passport; and another with name and address, including: driver's licence; phone bill; electricity bill; certificate of citizenship | no data | Yes (vouching) |
Voting on polling day, advance polls, special ballot in RO office, and mobile polls | Yes | No | One of the following: health insurance card, driver's licence, Canadian passport, Certificate of Indian Status or Canadian Armed Forces ID card | no data | Yes (vouching) |
|
Ontario | Registration | Yes | Yes | One piece of ID from the list of authorized ID with both name and address | no data | Yes (vouching footnote 2) |
Voting on polling day, advance polls, special ballot in RO office, and mobile polls | Yes | No | One piece of ID from the list of authorized ID with name | no data | Yes (declaration) |
|
Manitoba | Registration | Yes | Yes | One piece of government-issued photo ID with name and address; or two pieces of ID authorized by the CEO, both with name, at least one with address | no data | Yes (declaration) |
Voting on polling day, mobile polls, advance polls, special ballot in RO office | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (vouching) |
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Saskatchewan | Registration | Yes | Yes | One of the following: driver's licence or other government-issued ID with name, photo and address; or two pieces of ID from the list of acceptable documents, both with name, one with address | no data | Yes (vouching) |
Voting on polling day, advance polls and mobile polls footnote 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (vouching) |
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Alberta | Registration | Yes | Yes | One piece of government-issued ID with photo, current address and name; or two pieces of ID from the list of acceptable documents, both with name, one with address | no data | Yes (vouching) |
Voting on polling day, advance polls and mobile polls footnote 4 | No | No | N/A | no data | N/A | |
British Columbia | Registration | Yes | Yes | One of the following: BC driver's licence, BC Identification Card (BCID), BC Services Card (with photo) or another card issued by the Government of British Columbia or Canada with name, photo and address, or Certificate of Indian Status; or two pieces of ID, both with name, one with address | no data | Yes (vouching) |
Voting on polling day, advance polls and special ballot in RO office footnote 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (vouching) |
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Nunavut | Registration | Yes footnote 6 | Yes footnote 7 | One piece of ID with name, address and signature; or two pieces of ID: one with name and signature, and one with name and address | no data | No |
Voting on polling day, advance polls, special ballot in RO office, and mobile polls | No | No | N/A | no data | N/A | |
Northwest Territories | Registration | Yes | Yes | One piece of photo ID with address: either NWT driver's licence or NWT General Identification Card (GIC); or two pieces of ID, one from each column (proof of identity and proof of residence) on CEO's list of authorized ID, to prove identity and address | no data | Yes (vouching) |
Voting on polling day, advance polls, special ballot in RO office, and mobile polls | Yes | Yes | No | Yes (vouching) |
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Yukon | Registration | Yes | Yes | One piece of ID issued by the Government of Yukon, a Yukon First Nation, the Government of Canada or a municipality, with name and current residential or mailing address; or two pieces of ID authorized by the CEO, both with name, one with current address | no data | Yes (vouching or declaration footnote 7) |
Voting on polling day, advance polls, special ballot in RO office, and mobile polls | No | No | N/A | no data | N/A |
Return to source of footnote 1 Voting by special ballot in the RO office is not an option in Prince Edward Island.
Return to source of footnote 2 Vouching in lieu of proof of ID and address is an option only in "rural polling divisions".
Return to source of footnote 3 Voting by special ballot in the RO office is not an option in Saskatchewan.
Return to source of footnote 4 Voting by special ballot in the RO office is not an option in Alberta.
Return to source of footnote 5 Mobile polls are not an option in British Columbia.
Return to source of footnote 6 According to Elections Nunavut, electors may need to show ID if the election officer does not know them personally.
Return to source of footnote 7 Declaration is an option if the elector does not have someone to vouch for them.